teething
MediumNeutral; common in everyday, medical, and informal contexts, also used in technical and business settings.
Definition
Meaning
The process of a baby's teeth emerging through the gums.
Metaphorically, the initial difficulties or problems encountered when starting something new, such as a project or system.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Primarily used in the phrase 'teething problems' or 'teething troubles' for metaphorical sense; literal meaning is specific to infant development.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant differences in meaning; spelling and pronunciation are nearly identical.
Connotations
Identical in both varieties, implying initial challenges or infant discomfort.
Frequency
Equally common in British and American English.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
experience teethingundergo teethinghave teething problemsVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “teething problems”
- “teething troubles”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Refers to initial issues in launching a new product or system.
Academic
Used in pediatric or dental research to describe tooth eruption.
Everyday
Commonly discussed by parents regarding infants' discomfort.
Technical
Medical term for the eruption of primary teeth in infants.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The infant has been teething rather uncomfortably this week.
- Our puppy started teething last month.
American English
- The baby is teething and is quite fussy.
- She noticed her child teething during the night.
adjective
British English
- We encountered some teething issues with the new software rollout.
- The project faced teething troubles in its initial stages.
American English
- There were teething problems during the system upgrade.
- The startup experienced teething difficulties after launch.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The baby is teething and needs a teether.
- Teething can make infants cry more.
- Teething often causes pain and irritability in babies.
- They had teething problems with their new car.
- The new policy faced teething problems during implementation, but was later refined.
- Despite teething troubles, the team quickly adapted to the changes.
- The corporation's merger encountered significant teething issues, requiring strategic adjustments.
- Advanced pediatric studies focus on mitigating teething discomfort through innovative methods.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of 'teeth' 'ing' – as in teeth coming in during teething.
Conceptual Metaphor
BEGINNINGS ARE DIFFICULT LIKE TEETHING.
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Translating 'teething problems' literally to Russian might not convey the metaphorical meaning of initial difficulties.
- Confusing 'teething' with general dental terms like 'зубной' without the developmental context.
Common Mistakes
- Misspelling as 'teething' (correct) vs. 'teething' (no common variant), or using it as a verb without the base form 'teethe'.
- Overusing the metaphorical sense in inappropriate contexts.
Practice
Quiz
What does 'teething' metaphorically refer to in business contexts?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Teething is the natural process where a baby's teeth break through the gums, typically starting around six months of age.
While primarily for human infants, it can informally refer to animals like puppies teething, but not for adult humans.
Common signs include drooling, gum swelling, irritability, and a tendency to chew on objects.
Metaphorically, 'teething' describes the initial problems or challenges when starting something new, such as a project or technology, similar to how babies experience discomfort during tooth eruption.